Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Arthur Basil TANNER was born at Cobar, NSW, on 3rd February 1896. His parents were William and Ada M Tanner. His father died when he was very young (death registered at Cobar in 1897) and his mother re-married, but not until after Arthur had enlisted in the AIF, when she married Philip Kearins (marriage registered at Parkes in 1914).

On 22nd May 1914, Arthur was employed by the NSW Goverment Railways and Tramways as a cleaner (permanent) in the Locomotive Branch based at Bathurst, having been previously employed on a casual basis. On 18th August 1914 he was released to join the Expeditionary Forces.

Arthur joined the AIF at Sydney on 18th August 1914 and was posted to the 3rd Infantry Battalion with the rank of Private (Service Number 393). He nominated his mother as his next of kin, giving her name as Ada Tanner (subsequently amended by the Army to Ada Kearins), and her address as being at Parkes, NSW.

Arthur embarked for Egypt aboard HMAT A14 ‘Euripides’ on 20th October 1914 at Sydney, with the main body of the 3rd Infantry Battalion. The Battalion arrived in Egypt on 2nd December 1914 after a stopover at Albany, WA. He embarked at Alexandria on 5th April 1915 for the start of the Gallipoli campaign.

The Battalion was involved in the Anzac landings of 25th April 1915 as part of the second and third waves, after which it took on a role assisting in the defence of the beachhead. During this defensive operation, on 28th June 1915, Arthur reported sick with Influenza and was sent firstly to the Casualty Clearing Station on site before being sent to a Fleet Sweeper offshore and taken to Mudros  (on the Greek island of Lemnos) where he was admitted to the 24th Casualty Clearing Station. He was discharged on 5th July 1915 and re-joined his unit at Gallipoli on 12th July 1915.

Ten days later, on 22nd July 1915, he reported sick again and was diagnosed at the 1st Australian Casualty Clearing Station to be suffering from sunstroke. The same day he was put aboard the Hospital Ship ‘Sicilia’ where the diagnosis was changed to Influenza and he was evacuated to Malta. He arrived at Malta on 28th July 1915 and was admitted to the Military Hospital at Valetta, by which time he had developed pneumonia.

On 6th August 1915 he left Malta aboard the SS ‘Glengorm Castle’ bound for England where he was admitted to the 3rd London General Hospital at Wandsworth on 15th August 1915. On 15th December 1915 he was penalised 14 days detention at Weymouth for being drunk at St Edmunds at about 7pm the day before.

On 7th January 1916, Arthur is recorded as being at Weymouth and forming part of the 15th Draft to join the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force. He disembarked from the transport ‘Oriana’ at Alexandria in Egypt on 13th January 1916 (ex Devonport in England). On 15thJanuary 1916 he re-joined his unit, which was then at Tel-el-Kebir (Egypt) having been evacuated from Gallipoli in December 1915. On 22nd March 1916 he embarked with his unit at Alexandria for France, disembarking at Marseilles on 28th March 1916.

After arriving in France, he was on duty with his unit in France and then Belgium for almost the next eight months. During this period, he was promoted to Lance Corporal on 8th April 1916 and to be Temporary Corporal on 6th August 1916. This promotion was made permanent on 27th August 1916, which was the same day he was promoted to Lance Sergeant. On 19th October 1916 (in Belgium) he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant. In this time the Battalion was involved in operations in the Somme valley in France, where its first major action was at Pozières in July 1916, and around Ypres in Belgium. The Battalion returned to the Somme valley in time for winter.

On 24th November 1916, Arthur is recorded as being ‘On Command at the 4th Army School of Instruction’ in France. He returned from there to his unit on 26th December 1916. On 15th March 1917 he reported sick with pyrexia of uncertain origin (trench fever) and was admitted to the 1st Australian Field Ambulance before being sent to the 1st Divisional Rest Station. He was transferred to the 3rd Casualty Clearing Station on 27th March 1917 and from there he was put on the 3rd Ambulance Train on 6th April 1917 to be taken to the 9th General Hospital at Rouen where he was admitted on 7thApril 1917. He was discharged to the 2nd Convalescent Depot on 12th April 1917 and was discharged from there on 26th April 1917.

He proceeded to the 1st Australian Division Base Depot at Etaples, where he marched in on 29th April 1917. He stayed there for over a month. He re-joined the 3rd Infantry Battalion on 10 th June 1917. From 28th  June 1917 to 12th July 1917, he is recorded as being on leave in England. He then remained on duty until he was wounded in action near Ypres in Belgium on 20th September 1917, receiving a gunshot wound to the back (penetrating). He was taken to the Advanced Dressing Station, 3rd Australian Field Ambulance, where he died of his wounds the same day.

Arthur’s grave is in the Menin Road South Military Cemetery, Ypres, Flanders, Belgium. His place of association is Hill End (near Bathurst), NSW.

After his death his maternal grandmother, Annie Armstrong of Tambaroora Rd, Hill End, was granted a pension of 15 shillings per fortnight with effect from 1st December 1917. 

- based on the Australian War Memorial Honour Roll and notes for the Greaat Sydney Central Station Honour Board.